Free In Love by Christmas: A Paranormal Romance by Sandy Nathan

stitches.
    “Most likely she won’t make it out of rehab clean. But if she does, Will wants you ready to take her off his hands.” Leroy slumped, brow furrowing. “If you asked Will what he was doing, he wouldn’t say that, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
    “He wants you to fit in his world, which is also Cass’s world. She was raised like this.” He waved his hand, indicating the luxurious room.
    “But what if she doesn’t make it and you don’t end up married? You’re Grandfather’s grandson. Whatever Grandfather has is in you too; anybody can feel it. You’re a valuable corporate asset. But Will needs a man he can send anywhere.”
    Leroy stood up. “I’m not good enough for him?”
    “No, you’re not. Not now.”
    “Why didn’t he tell me that to my face?”
    “Will doesn’t work like that. You know some things about him. What does he do if he want’s something fixed?”
    Leroy was silent for a moment. “Sends a fixer.”
    “And what am I?”
    “You’re Will’s fixer.” Leroy wanted to head to his room and get his bags. “Are you fixing me?”
    “What I can see that needs it. But there’s fixing and there’s fixing. There’s what we did to save Cass, and there’s me dealing with some lying motherfucker that needs his head kicked in. I don’t do that, but I do the legal equivalent.”
    “What are you doing now?”
    “I’m helping a friend. Will should have talked to you and said something like, ‘I need to have you more polished if you’re going to be going places with Cass or working for me.’ He didn’t; he sent me. Will’s an asshole, Leroy. I knew that before the Meeting, and I really know it now. But that’s not all of him. You’ve lived at his house. What do you notice about Will?”
    Leroy was ready to leave. “He’s rich. He gets his way. He’s …”
    “Not a bad guy. Sit down. What did you notice about the people he took to the Meeting? The people at his house?”
    Leroy thought back to the retreat. He was only there a little while, but he remembered that the executives were an Asian guy, Melissa, and Doug. Some of the drivers died in the massacre, but they were white, Latino, and African American. His chef was gay. Living at his house now? Maybe fifteen people from the Meeting, Indians, all of them.
    “Did he mind that Melissa, who everyone considers Will’s real daughter, married Wesley, the most Indian Indian on the planet?”
    Leroy shook his head.
    “That’s right. Will is color blind . Race does not matter to him. Neither does sex, sexual preference, or religion. He’s a really good person in that respect. What he cares about is performance . Get the deal done. Win the prize, no matter who gets hurt. And he cares about his favorites. He will back them—us—up beyond what you can imagine. As long as we come through and don’t betray him. The problem isn’t Will. Do you understand?”
    “No.”
    Doug blew out a breath. “Will wants you to fit in his world and make it with Cass. I want that too, Leroy, really a lot. I’m one of you; I’m a spirit warrior. I’ve never been around people like you. You love each other. And I feel you like me … love me.” Doug’s face worked like he was trying to spit out a poison toad. “You deserve to be the man you could be—not just the really nice, country guy. You could be master of the universe.” Doug seemed to be fighting with himself.
    “What are you trying to say?”
    “Oh, shit, Leroy. Some of the people you’re going to meet would make hamburger out of you for the fun of it. They’ll try to humiliate you. They’ll break you if they can. Why?”
    “To get back at Will?”
    “Yeah. But mostly, because you’re black.”
    Leroy jerked.
    “Will’s color blind, but some people you’re going to meet and have to charm are just plain racist sons of bitches. Not just racist. They think they’re descended from God because their ancestors got named Lord this or Earl